Category Archives: Jacinda Ardern

"I hope the trust board will not support or allow that gathering to happen because it will put us at very, very high risk," says former Mori Affairs Minister and Labour MP Dover Samuels.

The Waitangi Trust Board did meet on Friday, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, which would see a cancellation of all public events.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Newshub Nation it's not up to her.

"Well look, these decisions are for the individual trust. The issue is at the moment of course, that people are trying to look into the future and predict where vaccination rates will be."

Northland has the country's second lowest vaccination rate, meaning scenes like throngs queueing for a Prime Ministerial sausage are simply too risky right now. Northland needs help and organisers need clarity.

"No one understands that situation more than us," Ardern says. "We are in constant contact with those running events, those running festivals. We know the need for certainty."

But during the interview with Newshub Nation, she had none to offer.

"Oh look, that's a decision ultimately for the organisers," Ardern said, when asked what guidance she would recommend.

Three years ago, the Prime Minister's wero at Waitangi - her challenge - was this: "Hold us to account. Because one day I want to be able to tell my child that I earned the right to stand here and only you can tell me when I have done that."

Although the events may get cancelled, that accountability will not.

"Kindness is running out, the reality is setting in," says Samuels.

This year was Samuels' 60th Waitangi.

"People are feeling disenfranchised, they feel that they have no place in the waka, they feel that they've been left behind," he says.

No final decision has been made about Waitangi. The waka has not yet left the shore.

Read more here:

Waitangi commemorations set to be held virtually in 2022 due to COVID-19 - Newshub

ReadingRoom

Newshub's outgoing political editor looks back on the 2020 election campaign in a chapter from a new book

Back in January 2020 when we were young, carefree and full of hope the political year started like any other with the set pieces Labours caucus retreat at a vineyard, Rtana celebrations, Waitangi. It's the perfect way to come back to politics after a break ie, youre not in Parliament. Because although Parliament is lifeblood for Press Gallery journalists were part of the fabric, stitched into the fleur-de-lis carpet, just as trampled on sometimes we really, really love getting out, talking to voters and observing politicians in the real world. Its illuminating and great fun, which is why we also live for election year and the campaign six to eight weeks of unbridled, adrenaline-soaked, relentless, exhausting, exhilarating politics in the wild.

So 2020 started in the field - and then the wheels came off. Covid, coups, conspiracies, scandal, ministerial screw ups, a sexting MP, leaks, lies, leadership... It was immense. My eyes were bulging, bloodshot and bagged by the time campaign oclock came around. We were still ready, the Newshub politics team was pumped, but we were terrified of what lay ahead given the year had been so full of noise.

And so it began a filthy electorate campaign in central Auckland with a senior National Party figure calling up talkback in the middle of the night pretending to be Merv from Manurewa to undermine one of his partys own candidates. The crazy looked set to continue.

Then . . . like so much of the year . . . handbrake . . . Covid.

Back to Wellington, back to Covid, back to the 1pm presser and all its social media baggage.

Campaign round two and, miraculously, clear air. The clouds parted; the pressure had been released; the hyperdrive of 2020 went down a gear. We finally had policy to discuss Matariki, drug harm reduction, business loans, tax, energy, electric vehicles, border policy.

LABOUR

It was, as the Prime Minister said, a Covid campaign. It was Covid that helped determine the outcome, Covid that cemented Jacinda Arderns reputation for strong leadership in a crisis something we already knew following the Christchurch terror attack and the Whakaari / White Island disaster the year before.

Ask Ardern pre-election campaign about her leadership and the hellish trifecta of crises that beset us and she would kick to the broader team, showing humility. Whether you believe it was entirely genuine or not, she never wanted to make it about her. Come the campaign, it was a different story. Labour knew it was their not-so-secret weapon, a bazooka of political power. So often politics is about nuance, reading between the lines; the slightest change of language can mean so much.

National came into the campaign with one leg severed... an arm chopped off... two fingers amputated...Then, remarkably, it shot itself in its remaining foot

During a campaign subtlety goes out the window. Labour brazenly played the Covid card. During a rally in Wellington in the final throes of the campaign, Ardern trumpeted her leadership in a crisis: "You truly get to know your government and your leaders when disasters strike . . . the alternative is an opposition party that is focused on itself."

It was also writ large in the political advertising Labour released, carefully workshopped and focus-grouped down to the letter: Jacinda Ardern prime ministerial in her ninth-floor office, calm, competent and in charge, with accents of Labour red and the portrait of Michael Joseph Savage placed just so.

But I struggle to see how National could have won the election even if Covid hadnt happened.

NATIONAL

What a litany of failure. Own goals, friendly fire and faux pas. The National Partys annus horribilis was a remarkable exercise in political mismanagement. It was like an episode of The Thick of It had a baby out of wedlock in a church with an episode of House of Cards and somehow an episode of The Office was the surrogate. National could not catch a break and barring Covid the party only had itself to blame.

The party came into the campaign with one leg severed (the first coup), an arm chopped off (the second leadership change), two fingers amputated (Andrew Falloon, the sexting MP, and Hamish Walker, the MP who leaked Covid patients details) and several stubbed toes (including declaring Pkeh MP Paul Goldsmith Mori to make up for a lack of diversity). It was always going to struggle to make it across the finish line. Then, remarkably, it shot itself in its remaining foot. Paul Goldsmiths "fiscal hole" undermined Nationals sacred domain of responsible economic management while simultaneously blowing to pieces its one chance at a cracker, vote-winning election bribe its tax cuts.

Gaffes became a theme of Nationals campaign: Gerry Brownlees Covid conspiracy theorising ("interesting series of facts"); Judith Collins praying in front of media shed invited, then pretending she didnt want us there; her fat shaming and blaming ("We all have to own up to our little weaknesses"); Brownlees blowout swearing at a young reporter ("Your people give me the shits. Theyre bloody lazy as buggery").

But it was an MP most New Zealanders would have struggled to place, Denise Lee, who lopped the head off this weird anatomical analogy Ive adopted. She emailed the entire caucus with a supermarket list of strongly worded complaints about the leadership an attack on the leadership, during an election campaign which was leaked to Newshubs Jenna Lynch. Firstly, you only send emails like this to the whole caucus if you want it to go further. This was meant for public consumption. Secondly, if youre passionate enough about a party to become an MP, in theory you love your party. You may not like the leader, you may not like something theyve done. In normal times, sure you might leak about it, agitate, blow the whistle. During a campaign youre supposed to put the party first. Do whatever you can to try to win. This email and subsequent leak so close to an election were the king hit that destroyed any chance of National securing a win.

NEW ZEALAND FIRST

Winston Peters is still the most recognisable man in New Zealand politics: the kingmaker, muckraker, pisstaker and ballbreaker.

Peters had a lot going for him this term. He started out as a statesman, had a successful stint (subbing for Ardern) as Acting Prime Minister, was well-regarded in foreign affairs. His ministers did well splashing cash around the regions and with the Defence Force. He flexed his coalition muscle. He could have run a more positive campaign by playing more to those strengths and trying to get some of Arderns stardust to rub off on him rather than attacking the government of which he was a part.

I spent a day with David Seymour in Arrowtown thats when I truly clocked the groundswell

But, like everyone, Peters struggled to get a word in edgeways during Covid. Throw in the Serious Fraud Office investigation into New Zealand First Foundation donations, top it all off with some bad advice from an ill-informed cabinet and advisors, and there was a confluence and display of all the bad bits of Winston Peters.

ACT

With all due respect to David Seymour and his band of merry newbies, the 900 per cent increase in his party is less about him and more about the National Partys aforementioned howlers. Thats not to take away from the fact he had a very good term. Once he got past the desperate attention grabs in fluoro lycra he did the hard mahi on euthanasia, working tirelessly and across the aisle to get a piece of legislation he truly cared about passed.

His opposition to gun reform, on the other hand, was more about political opportunism. Thats politics though they all do what they can to hold onto or increase their power.

And it all worked. It really became a reality for me when I spent a day with Seymour in Arrowtown thats when I truly clocked the groundswell. Almost everyone that Seymour wombled up to in the small town pledged him their support. Even David Seymour was surprised. Seeing Seymours teenie tiny dinky little ACT Party bus climbing through the majestic ranges of Central Otago was the perfect visual representation of what Decision 2020 was going to mean for Seymour. David was about to become Goliath.

MORI PARTY

Bloody brilliant. First up, ten points to Rawiri Waititi, the only person in New Zealand who could flip a Labour seat in the epoch of Juggernaut Jacinda. Then doubling their presence in Parliament on the specials, coat-tailing in Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. And from the second they walked through the doors at Parliament theyve been an almighty presence.

"A pebble in the shoe of government", Waititi said in his maiden speech. A Mori voice in every piece of legislation to come to the House. Its particularly great to have an effective Mori opposition when there are so many Mori ministers in government. Those ministers have their work cut out for them: Labour has no excuses, no blaming New Zealand First and Winston Peters this term. Inequality and the disproportionate representation of Mori in all the wrong statistics has to be addressed.

The Greens have been attempting to strike the right balance of sitting at the table in government while simultaneously wanting to knock the table over

And a lot of those ministers should be worried about the Mori Party for political survival reasons too. Many of them are elected in Mori seats. At the rate the Mori Party is going, if they keep up the momentum and do what theyve promised to do, its easy to see them increasing their party share in Parliament in 2023 and taking the fight to Labour big-time in the Mori electorates.

GREENS

There was a very real risk the Green Party wouldnt make it back this election. The party hovers around the 5 per cent threshold and when the Green School schmozzle was revealed, alienating many in the Green base, that could have spelled game over. The Greens played some pretty deft politics in the wake of the mess, James Shaw apologising 18 million times and then talking up the risk to their political future.

They exploited it and it paid off. Fear of the Greens being ousted got their supporters back onside; fear of a Labour-only government too: that bit didnt work out so well for them. The Greens have been attempting to strike the right balance of sitting at the table in government while simultaneously wanting to knock the table over. So far theyve got it about right: speaking out on housing, voting against the governments top tax rate.

ADVANCE NEW ZEALAND

Advance New Zealand was the only other party and I use the term loosely to exit Parliament following the election. For their leader Jami- Lee Ross I have just two words: good riddance.

Taken from the new book Politics in a Pandemic: Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand's 2020 election, edited by Stephen Levine (Victoria University Press, $50), featuring contributions and reflections by all the party leaders, plus selected media and a lot of policy wonks. Tova O'Brien's chapter is republished here with courtesy of Newshub and VUP

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Tova on 2020, and a special message for Jami-Lee Ross - Newsroom

OPINION: When National shadow treasurer Andrew Bayly came down from nearly two months lockdown in Auckland a couple of weeks ago, he got a shock.

The Auckland-based MP of Port Waikato came down to deliver the National Partys alternative economic package for a post-lockdown New Zealand.

Bayly, sporting a tan line on his upper forehead courtesy of finally being able to get a haircut in level 2 in Wellington, was there to talk about the plan. He was clearly a bit shell-shocked by what ensued.

Instead of primarily being asked about the plan and talking about how Aucklanders are doing it tough, he, Judith Collins and Chris Bishop, were bombarded with questions about how Nationals plan to reopen which it would do once 85 per cent of the population were fully vaccinated - would stop cases of Covid from blowing up, or getting out around New Zealand.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, Chris Hipkins, and Peeni Henare introduce a new traffic light system when dealing with Covid-19 onwards. The announcement was made in the Banquet Hall in Parliament.

READ MORE:* Covid-19: The new traffic lights look good, but 90 per cent vaccination rate will be hard to hit* As Covid lingers in the community, the questions remain ...* Covid-19 outbreak situation report: what happened today, September 1* Covid-19: Auckland cluster grows to 107 cases ahead of Cabinet decision

Bayly, who had spent much of lockdown doing electorate work, helping desperate voters and businesses navigate alert level rules, gain travel exemptions and generally keep afloat during lockdown as have all the other MPs in Auckland across all parties told me afterwards that if you went around his electorate asking those sorts of questions, youd probably get belted.

Even yesterday he said he was staggered by what he sees as a lack of understanding of what Aucklanders and those in Waikato are going through.

Baylys story is by no means unique. And while he clearly wants to talk his book and gin up Nationals support, his point was really more of a personal observation.

MPs in Auckland across the political divide are finding the same very real and personal difficulties being caused by Covid. But Baylys case is interesting because he can see, first hand, the difference between those living further south where level 2 has been a way of life for over seven weeks now.

The risk profiles are different and peoples incentives are opposed. Whereas in Auckland, most people just want life to get back to normal, most people outside of Auckland want Covid to stay where it is, at least until the new traffic light system comes in with 90 per cent of the population vaccinated, and lockdowns consigned to the rearview mirror.

Stuff crunched the numbers on Friday and on current trajectory, Auckland will be at 90 per cent across all three district health board areas on November 27, while the last health board in the rest of the country currently Tairwhiti based in Gisborne will hit the mark on January 18.

It should be noted that those projections are just that, and assume that the vaccination rates keep rising to 90 per cent which is certainly not assured.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Todd McClay, Michael Woodhouse, Andrew Bayly and Judith Collins, when National launched its policy plan on getting through post Covid 19 lockdowns.

It points to the fact that the next couple of months will be crunchy for a government and PM that both seem to have lost their communications mojo.

In the early stages of the outbreak last year, Ardern won praise rightly so for her clear communication and leadership during the early stages of the pandemic. A lockdown was new, uncharted and very scary territory and the way the comms were managed was first class and clear.

But over the past few months that communication has become much less clear, more jargon-ridden and the policy settings more confusing.

In part that has been because the politics of Covid have fundamentally changed. Prior to the Delta outbreak, the Government did more or less control both the virus and the agenda. Once Delta came in, it basically took over. A plan to reopen New Zealand to the world and start to manage Covid as endemic in the community was crafted. It has now been brought forward rapidly.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

In the early stages of the outbreak last year, Ardern won praise rightly so for her clear communication and leadership during the early stages of the pandemic.

There are also five main moving parts of the response to Covid: the alert system, the step system in Auckland, the new traffic light system, the vaccine roll-out, and MIQ.

But all those moving parts, with their own problems, arent well understood by the public and havent really been well explained.

When the step system was announced in Auckland whereby if public health conditions allowed, restrictions would be reduced under the current alert level framework the reason was that the Government had looked at what happened in New South Wales and Victoria and realised that people need some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, or they just start breaking rules. So limited outdoor gatherings were allowed.

It was a strong point that had the advantage of being true.

STUFF

Auckland will move into the "red" setting of the Government's new Covid-19 traffic light system when the region hits 90 per cent double vaccine doses, even if the rest of the country hasn't hit the target.

However, the announcement ended up with the PM not talking about that. Instead, clearly rattled by questions around potential spread of Covid, she ended up reassuring New Zealanders that this was still a very hard lockdown!

This small example points to a bigger problem that has not been confronted. The prime minister has never really fully fronted and given a speech that puts risk and trade-offs at the front of peoples minds.

No-one should pretend this is easy. On the one hand, most of the country will be facing lockdowns if there is a decent-sized outbreak before the 90 per cent vaccination target is reached, but once everyone is vaccinated, lockdowns will finish and will be replaced by the traffic light system.

The Government has massaged the overall strategy for example the PM didn't front a 1pm press conference on Thursday when Christchurch had its first Covid cases in about a year. But there hasnt been a clear-enough public statement about the fact that, come November, case numbers wont matter. Covid getting around the country wont matter; only serious cases in hospital will. Not only that, but that people should expect it.

There has been an unwillingness, so far, to level with the public about how the risks are going to fundamentally change. Clearly, partly owing to Arderns personal caution, the Government is going to take a lower-risk approach compared to most other countries and jurisdictions that have opened up. But that has never been explained clearly.

It also reflects some of the internal politics in the Labour Party when cases do rise, it is going to be their people who are more affected. Like any sickness or social ill, Covid will affect those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder more than the top.

That pressure was one of the drivers behind the push for specific vaccine targets for Mori and Pacific populations. While a laudable aim, that would have been disastrous a point that most parties in Parliament quietly agree on because instead of fully vaccinated people potentially getting cross with some areas of the country, instead ire might have been directed squarely at ethnic communities if their vaccine rates had remained below 90 per cent.

But that notwithstanding, the Government, as with the rest of the country, is in a Covid halfway house: a waiting game until the new traffic light system which will actually be pretty straightforward once the population is vaccinated comes in.

But in the meantime, navigating a world in which different parts of the country want very different things will be very tough, and will require both the PMs communication skills and the fast policy to back it up.

See more here:

Covid-19: Where has Jacinda Ardern, the great communicator gone? - Stuff.co.nz

New Zealand yesterday set itself an ambitious new emissions reduction target, with a pledge to halve its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

The new target, announced as world leaders gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for the critical COP26 summit on climate change, is substantially higher than the previous goal of a 30 percent reduction set as part of the 2015 Paris agreement.

New Zealands enhanced contribution to the global fight on climate change represents our fair share, and is in line with whats needed if we are to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Emissions are about the same as they were in 2005 and New Zealand Minister of Climate Change James Shaw described the next decade as make or break for the planet.

To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C, the science shows we now have about eight years left to almost halve global greenhouse gas emissions, he said in a statement. Thats eight years for countries to make the necessary plans, put in place policies, implement them, and ultimately deliver the cuts.

Under a complex system for determining the contribution to fighting climate change, the cuts will include arrangements helping other countries reduce their emissions, drawing criticism from the opposition National Party.

National supports using global carbon markets to achieve our targets, but there is no sense in setting a target that over-reaches and simply signs New Zealand up to a huge bill as we buy units from overseas, the partys climate change spokesman Stuart Smith said.

Comments will be moderated. Keep comments relevant to the article. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks of any kind or promotion will be removed and the user banned. Final decision will be at the discretion of the Taipei Times.

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New Zealand increases emissions reduction target -

Businesses will have the unprecedented power to sack staff if they refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19, under sweeping new requirements that will affect almost half of nations workforce.

The new mandate comes as the Government prepares to announce changes on Wednesday to the controversial managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) system, shortening stays for fully-vaccinated returnees within a matter of weeks.

The changes are part of a broader effort to incentivise people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as the Delta variant proves impossible to eliminate.

But some experts warned that new requirements to be vaccinated could backfire.

International evidence for the effectiveness of vaccination mandates is mixed, said Professor Nikki Turner, a GP and medical director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC).

If they are poorly directly, implemented in isolation, or without supportive community approaches in place, they are at risk of backfiring by polarising communities, creating entrenched attitudes and potentially marginalising further.

To succeed, the campaign needed wrap around support for vaccine-hesitant communities, more education and an effort to build trust with those who had concerns about immunisation, she said.

READ MORE:* Covid-19 NZ: Government to extend vaccine mandates to businesses requiring vaccine certification* Vaccine mandate for hospitality and 'close contact' workers welcomed* No jab, no entry: Hamilton businesses weigh up future with vaccine certificates

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says about 40 per cen of the workforce will be covered by a mandate. (File photo)

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday announced all close proximity businesses including restaurants, cafes, gyms requiring vaccine certification for their customers will have to ensure their employees are also vaccinated.

We want workplaces open, customers safe and workers safe too, Ardern said yesterday, adding that businesses big and small had asked for a clear, legal framework.

Staff who refuse vaccination will be given a four week period to get vaccinated before their employment can be terminated.

A persons vaccination status will become increasingly relevant to their daily lives under the Governments proposed traffic light system, which will replace the alert level system when each district health board reaches 90 per cent vaccination levels.

The new rules will mean that about 40 per cent of the country's workers will be subject to a vaccine mandate, including the health and education staff already announced, Ardern said.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood said the new rules would balance public health concerns and the suite of rights that are in place here.

The Government would also legislate to create a simplified risk assessment process that will allow employers who don't fall under a mandate to decide whether they will require vaccination for any of their workers.

We will be working to make it as clear and as simple as possible about when it is reasonable for an employer to require vaccination as a condition of employment, he said.

Under the new traffic light system, the orange light setting would allow businesses to operate without restrictions on capacity or social distancing if they agree to require customers to prove they have been vaccinated through the vaccine certification system the Government is developing.

Hospitality business not using the certification system will not be able to open, but can operate for contactless transactions.

Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said the mandate was a positive step to ensuring safe and healthy workplaces, and would provide legal protection for employers. Feedback has shown some concerns around enforcing a policy that could make employers liable for discrimination on the basis of vaccination status, she said.

National Party leader Judith Collins said the Government should have started work on vaccine certification sooner.

Dr Andrew Chen, a research fellow at Auckland University, said vaccine certificates were just one weapon in New Zealands armoury against the virus.

There are no silver bullets when it comes to Covid, so we shouldnt expect the introduction of a vaccination certificate will make all our problems go away, he said.

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Covid-19: Sweeping vaccine mandate to cover 40 per cent of workforce - Stuff.co.nz

Workers who had previously been told they needed to get their shots included teachers and health care professionals.

Tuesday's announcement came just a few days after the government set a target of getting 90 per cent of people aged 12 and over fully vaccinated in order to end the cycle of lockdowns.

Auckland, the largest city, has been in lockdown for more than two months after an outbreak of the delta variant.

As part of its plan to end lockdowns, New Zealand will also require people visiting high-traffic businesses to show vaccine passports to prove they've had their shots.

The conservative opposition National Party said there was no need for restrictions such as vaccine passports once vaccination targets were met.

"Some businesses will choose to require proof of vaccination. Others will not," said opposition leader Judith Collins in a statement.

Read the original here:

Get vaccinated within a month or face the sack, Jacinda Ardern tells workers - Telegraph.co.uk

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says the model is unfair.

"Auckland would contribute 94 percent of the assets acquired by the new water entity and get in return a minority voice on an oversight committee which in any case would have no effective power of governance and no ability to ensure responsiveness.

"Far from underinvesting in infrastructure, in this year's 10-year Budget, Auckland Council has invested $11 billion in water services for the coming decade. Projects like the $1.2 billion Central Interceptor address problems like wastewater overflows and will dramatically improve water quality of our beaches and harbours."

But Mahuta says the reforms will save Auckland ratepayers from higher water costs in the coming years.

"Within the next two years Auckland's water bills will at least double and under the reform proposals that we are making Auckland ratepayers will benefit significantly in terms of reduced costs."

Continued public ownership of water services is a bottom line for the Government, with any future proposal for privatisation requiring 75 percent of votes in favour in a public referendum. That makes it tricky to undo.

There will be opportunities for public consultation over the coming years including public submissions via the parliamentary select committee process, and public participation with a new working group set up.

The Government has been investigating a range of options for four years.

It considered funding the status quo, and a national centralised fund similar to the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) model. The Government also considered having 16 entities. But the alternatives were considered unsustainable and unaffordable.

The Government tried to make the reforms easier for councils by announcing a whopping $2.5 billion package in July to ensure they were not only "no worse off", but "better off" from the restructure of water assets.

The four water service entities are scheduled to begin operating in July 2024.

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The reason Jacinda Ardern, Nanaia Mahuta think Three Waters will be a success - Newshub

The path out of Auckland's Covid-19 lockdown has been made clearer with the 90 per cent double-dose target, but what this means for the future of the city's border remains hazy.

Modelling by Stuff this week suggests Auckland's three DHBs will reach the target by November 29 Auckland DHB by November 9; Waitemat by the 15th, and Counties Manukau by the end of the month, given the current vaccination rate.

But what will happen to Auckland's border, and when can locked-down Aucklanders travel outside the region?

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

Auckland is in its 11th week of lockdown, after Covid-19 re-emerged in the community in mid-August.

Here's what we do and don't yet know.

READ MORE:* Covid-19: Vaccinated Aucklanders should be able to travel across border for Christmas - Jacinda Ardern * Covid-19 NZ: How domestic travel will work under the traffic light system* Covid-19: Auckland should keep regional boundary 'as long as possible' to protect country

If Auckland moves into the traffic light framework ahead of the rest of the country (when 90 per cent of the eligible population of all three DHBs are fully vaccinated), it will move into the red traffic light phase.

The air and land boundary will remain in place, to protect the rest of New Zealand, a Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) spokesperson told Stuff.

This week, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said we "don't yet know" how long the internal boundary will be in place.

The Government is working to develop comprehensive operational detail about how boundaries will operate where areas are at red but information on that is limited.

It isn't clear how soon after transitioning into red Aucklanders would be able to leave the region.

What is clear is that access is unlikely to be unfettered active work is under way around what requirements might be in place for people crossing the boundary, the spokesperson said.

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

Auckland's land and air boundary will remain in place when the region hits 90 per cent double-doses, and moves into 'red'.

We do know it is likely to require vaccination and testing, though vaccine certificates are not yet available and they arent expected to be until mid-late November.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave an assurance to Stuff that those with vaccine certificates should be able to travel in and out of Auckland by Christmas but further questions around timings have gone unanswered.

Once New Zealand moves into the traffic light system, boundary restrictions will be relied upon less, but regional borders may still be required around areas in red.

We will only transition to the new framework when it is safe to do so, and right now boundaries are helping to contain Aucklands outbreak and keep the rest of New Zealand safe, DPMC said.

It did not respond to a question asking whether Auckland's border will remain in place until all 20 DHBs move into the traffic light system.

In short, we don't know yet. And the Government is still working that out.

It is clear both the land and air border would be maintained whether there are checkpoints stopping each car for proof of vaccination and a negative test, or similar clearance at the airport, is unclear.

How these are monitored is currently being considered.

The DPMC is actively exploring domestic travel possibilities once Auckland moves into the new framework, but did not give any detail beyond saying vaccination and a negative test would likely be required.

Abigail Dougherty/Stuff

Vaccination certificates and a testing regime will play a role in how Aucklanders will eventually be able to leave the region.

It is also not yet clear whether rapid antigen testing will be employed for Aucklanders leaving the region.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield this week said they may play a role in testing the workforce driving across the boundary, but not at the boundary.

This is because the tests still take 15-20 minutes to complete, and require observation.

In an interview with Stuff last week, Ardern confirmed there could be two-way travel in and out of Auckland by Christmas.

But those who have not been vaccinated will not be allowed to travel.

Ardern said the boundary was important while the vaccination programme continues, but the Government was planning to enable many more people to cross it.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has indicated that two-way travel in and out of Auckland will be possible by Christmas - but the timeline to that point is not yet clear.

So we're working on ways to see if and it is a very large logistical exercise to maintain or to establish a land border but we're looking at whether thats possible, she said.

No date has been set for when Auckland's border will be dissolved, or when Aucklanders will be able to travel out of the region save for the promise hitting 90 per cent double-doses brings.

DPMC said more detail on how the system would work, and how it will be implemented would be available in November, after further decisions by ministers.

Government agencies will be talking to community and business groups, education, faith-based and sport sectors, and other stakeholders.

In announcing the traffic light system, Ardern acknowledged people would want to be reunited over the summer holidays, so we have set ourselves a goal to try and establish whether or not this will be possible well in time for those milestones.

More here:

Covid-19: What we do and don't know about how and when Aucklanders can cross the border - Stuff.co.nz

Lord Ashcroft, businessman, philanthropist and politician has polled New Zealand for the first time and asks are we Living the Kiwi Dream? Photo / Greg Bowker

A survey of New Zealanders by renowned British politician and pollster Lord Michael Ashcroft has revealed a growing frustration with a "sluggish" vaccine rollout after initial pride and wide governmental support for our Covid response.

The release of "Living the Kiwi Dream? Politics and Public Opinion in New Zealand" comes as Aucklanders grapple with their 74th day in lockdown and Christchurch joins the growing list of regions hit by Delta.

It is the first time Ashcroft has polled in New Zealand and he said the three-month survey of 5000 Kiwis was carried out because the nation was one "close to his heart".

The billionaire who famously put up a $200,000 reward to encourage the return of stolen war medals in 2009 and gave even more to help after the Christchurch Earthquakes has spent a lot of time here and "has many Kiwi friends".

Ashcroft was fascinated with the world's view of New Zealand's initial Covid response and the actions of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

New Zealand grabbed the world's attention with its reaction to the Covid pandemic, he said, and Ardern had been propelled to the status of an "international celebrity".

"I was intrigued to find out more about her apparent political success and to see whether New Zealanders themselves accord their leader as much reverence as do the pundits overseas."

Ashcroft's poll found Ardern had wide support and her "go hard, go early" lockdowns were applauded.

"Her ability to speak for and to the country as in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019 are appreciated across the political spectrum," he said.

Those polled acknowledged the issues Ardern has dealt with during her time as leader including the Christchurch terror attacks and the White Island eruption.

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"She's had a really tough time.... I think she's done really well. And part of that is personality because she's a very empathetic person," said one.

"It puts us on the map and it puts us in the news. We're a small country and we like it when we see our name being put up there positively in the world news, BBC, Fox, CNN or whatever. We like to see our name out there when we do good things," said another.

"Jacinda's a good communicator and was good in crisis management, but ultimately she lacks leadership in coming up with a clear strategy," said another.

Despite some criticisms, Ashcroft's poll found Ardern "far and away the country's most popular political figure", with the opposition National Party "divided and demoralised with no clear sense of direction".

But Ashcroft's research also found a remarkable shift in Kiwi opinions regarding the Covid response from the initial outbreak in 2020 to the arrival of Delta in late August 2021.

Most New Zealanders polled thought the Government had done a good job handling the pandemic, introducing restrictions at the right time, following the right scientific advice and communicating the rules clearly.

As time went on, a degree of frustration had begun to set in, Ashcroft said.

After 18 months, many felt the authorities were using the same tools as they had at the beginning of the pandemic, while the approach in the rest of the world had evolved.

Opinion was even stronger when it came to providing New Zealanders with a Covid vaccine.

Many blamed what they saw as "the unnecessarily slow vaccine roll-out" for the continuation of what they considered an "inflexible and heavy-handed approach."

This was especially true for those polled in the South Island where, until this week when two cases of Delta were found, the risk of contracting the virus seemed extremely low.

"The initial strategy worked, but now we're on Delta. If the vaccine rollout was done earlier, we should have avoided this lockdown," said one.

"I feel like we went from being one of the best countries in the world with our response to Covid to one of the worst in vaccine rollout. There are countries that end with '-stan' that have had better vaccine rollouts than we have," said another.

Business owners said there was no clear direction with no time to prepare with "last-minute" decisions.

"It's really weird being only a few days ahead of what's happening. People are quite smart and could probably deal with 'if this happens, then in six months' time we expect this," one said.

"As a small business owner, we've got no idea what's going on. We don't know where they're going to go, and they won't communicate anything so people can't prepare and organise their lives. It's frustrating at the moment."

The Government's zero Covid elimination policy was also a source of debate.

Many in the focus groups were sceptical of the goal, which has since been sidelined, and said since the virus would not be eliminated worldwide, keeping it out of New Zealand forever would mean permanent restrictions on travel or an endless series of lockdowns.

Some were supportive of the zero-Covid policy and felt the Government was right in its "cautious approach".

Labour voters especially said the economic cost was worth it if lives were saved.

"There will be a cost which will take some time to regain, but once you die there is no coming back," said one.

The research also revealed strong feelings about the Covid response and healthcare.

Many felt the pandemic had exposed weaknesses, especially in the number of ICU beds and the state of our only children's hospital, that had been building for some time.

"The Government is spending billions of dollars a week on stuff that should have been dealt with a while ago," one said.

"You've got hospitals like Starship, the National Children's Hospital, having to resort to raising funds by advertising on TV for ICU beds. They shouldn't be having to do that."

Health Minister Chris Hipkins responded to the poll, saying New Zealand's strategy had been to protect lives and livelihoods from Covid-19 and it had "delivered on both counts".

"We continue to have the lowest number of Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths per capita of any country in the OECD.

"Our strong health response has also been good for our economy, with economic activity above returning to pre-lockdown levels earlier this year.

"Our unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the OECD at 4 per cent, and our quarterly growth rate is higher than Australia, the UK, the US, Japan and Canada."

On the vaccination roll-out, Hipkins said the rates continued to rise and New Zealand had administered more first doses than Australia, the UK, Germany and Israel, according to Our World in Data.

"The current Delta outbreak has been a real test, but we have not experienced the type of human and economic carnage seen overseas where hospitals have been overrun and restrictions in place for extended periods of time."

Auckland Business Chamber CEO Michael Barnett said the poll revealed the feeling in the business community of "knee-jerking and lacking a plan" before Delta hit.

"In most business environments there would have been a "what if" question posed by heads of government departments. We were watching the rest of the world and the signal wasn't "would it happen" the question was - when.

"The Government drove a programme that was a health response. It should have been a health and economic response to mitigate the people, business, and community cost."

Ashcroft hoped his poll would provide some answers.

"I hope this research encompassing New Zealanders' attitudes to political and social issues, the economy, their country's overall direction, and its place in the world will prove valuable to anyone interested in the subject," he said.

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Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Lord Ashcroft's New Zealand poll 'Living the Kiwi Dream?' reveals frustration growing - New Zealand Herald

However, many Kiwis in Australia - about 700,000 - were disconsolate to learn they would still need to win the "MIQ lottery" to return.

MIQ places are given out in randomised ballots.

As demand outstrips supply, tens of thousands of people have been effectively barred from returning.

Grounded Kiwis, a lobby and support group set up for the locked out, said the government's changes didn't make sense.

"For many who already have an MIQ spot, there was good news today: they will have a shorter stay. But what about the NZ citizens and residents who can't get home ... the stressful and dispiriting lotteries will continue," a statement read.

"When will fully-vaccinated Kiwis and residents be able to enter quarantine-free? They need certainty and they didn't get it."

The Grounded Kiwis Facebook page is a sea of anger and pain, where many go to vent their frustrations.

"A cruel unjust system rife with double standards, MIQ fees that still present a burden to those who are financially challenged, the lottery hunger game pitting one person against another," one poster wrote.

"And truly a lot of waffling about this and that. I'm currently planning to be locked out for up to another year. Hope not, but..."

The government is allowing hundreds of Kiwis who catch COVID-19 in its Delta outbreak to isolate at home.

A string of public health experts called out the illogicality of allowing that practice while overseas-based Kiwis - who are fully vaccinated and test negative - are unable to head home and do the same.

"I would have liked to see a stronger focus for those wishing to return to New Zealand who are double-vaccinated to have the ability to safely self-isolate at home," University of Otago senior lecturer Lesley Gray said.

"The many other New Zealanders still overseas trying to get back to families and loved ones have experienced many months of anxiety."

Nick Wilson, also from the University of Otago, said the dozens of cases in Auckland each day meant the government should change its approach.

"Given that the goal of COVID-19 control in Auckland is no longer elimination ... perhaps vaccinated people returning from overseas to just Auckland should be able to by-pass MIQ facilities completely and go straight to home quarantine," he said.

New Zealand travellers at Sydney International Airport, Sydney, Monday, April 19, 2021. Source: AAP

ACT party leader David Seymour joined the chorus, saying the government's announcement "means the cruel COVID lottery hunger games continue".

"Jacinda Ardern keeps talking about the team of five million. We're actually a team of six million, there are a million Kiwis offshore who will be crushed," he said.

"ACT would allow fully vaccinated people who have tested negative to self-isolate. If it's good enough for COVID positive people, it should be good enough for low-risk people who just want to come home."

Ms Ardern said the government will review its settings late next month.

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Border changes keeping thousands of Kiwis in Australia from coming home criticised - SBS News